A former managing editor of the News of the World has denied allegations he leaked a story about a rumoured suicide bid by Diana, Princess of Wales.

Stuart Kuttner told the hacking trial that claims he provided details which ended up in a rival paper were "false".

The trial heard he asked royal editor Clive Goodman for details behind the rumour and passed the information to a journalist writing a book about Diana.

Mr Kuttner denies a charge of conspiring to intercept voicemails.

The former newspaper boss was in the witness box for a third day, in proceedings which later in the day saw him supported by his character witness, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey - who described him as "a man of moral integrity... who wanted his best for his paper".

The Old Bailey was told that Mr Kuttner pressed Mr Goodman for information for a Diana book, which was to rival another being written by Andrew Morton.

The court heard allegations Mr Kuttner asked Mr Goodman to "assist" a friend, a journalist named in court as Nick Davies, by providing background information and stories for his book.

'Entirely false'

Mr Goodman's lawyer David Spens QC said: "One of the rumours about the forthcoming Morton book was that it would contain a story about a suicide bid by Princess Diana."

"I am going to suggest he said nothing and you persisted in asking for detail , and he said that it is likely to be an overdose and that she saw a picture of her son and changed her mind and made herself sick," Mr Spens said.